A Hearts Desire
by mmcnmb1
Summary: Marinette is secretly the witch Ladybug, running a small shop in Paris that sells small clothes and trinkets to regular passerby, but offers magical charms granting luck to any who can see her witch disguise. Magic AU.
1. Magic and Premonitions

**Thought of this after watching Howl's moving castle, although it ended up evolving from a oneshot into a 3 chapter fic. It's also inspired by another amazing fanfic The Ladybug Boutique by Foxmittens on .**

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Marinette waved sweetly to her latest customer as they walked out of the thick curtains that covered the entrance to her personal office. They had asked her to steal the heart of their beloved and give it to them, an offer that she was forced to refuse now that she was under scrutiny from the council of magic users. How annoying, she used to accept offers like that all the time. They were quick and simple, and they left her with a sizable profit; damn council, they finally noticed her activity and had her supervised by the warlock Chat Noir of all things.

Not like she hated Chat or anything, the pun-loving warlock brought out the more playful and sassy side of her personality. Even if Chat and her had no idea who the other was in the non-magic portion of their lives. Marinette ran the shop under her witch disguise, Ladybug; and that's who Chat knew her as, not Marinette. Any non-magical customers would see Marinette at the counter, but anyone magically inclined met the red and black mask of Ladybug, unidentifiable by any means, magic or not.

That was for the best, names held power in most areas of magic, although they didn't mean much in her area of expertise but one could never be too careful.

The ringing of a bell echoed throughout the shop, signaling the arrival of another customer. Marinette stood and strolled from her office to the front counter, which sat just in front of her office, allowing her to ensure that nobody unwelcome just "happened" to meander their way inside.

"Welcome to Luck and Love's Charms. Looking for anything in particular?" Marinette asked politely, her familiar Tikki flying from her usual perch to land on Marinette's shoulder with a loving coo. Marinette returned the gesture with an appreciative rub to the head.

Tikki was a surprise find for Marinette, literally flying into the bakery's window one day. Her parents had agreed to let Marinette take care of the recovering bird. They had discovered Tikki's magical affinity not long after. The bird's unusual coloring was the first hint; Tikki was covered in crimson red feathers with spots of black sprinkled throughout, her head was completely black though, as was her underbelly. The second hint had been when a customer had pegged the bird for a purple martin, which were not even closely native to France and certainly not bright red and black in coloration. The third and last sign had been when Marinette's magic had connected to the bird while performing a spell, and the bird had responded in kind.

After Tikki's reveal as Marinette's familiar, there was much celebration and congratulating from her parents, not every witch or warlock had the luxury of having a familiar. A partner who could take on some of the magical burden and even weave their own spells on occasion, Tikki was actually the one who maintained Marinette's disguise as Ladybug, since Marinette didn't have much magic to spare from making her charms.

Speaking of Ladybug, the customer that had wandered in was looking at Marinette with awe on her face.

"Ladybug." The customer whispered, her eyes wide.

"At your service." Marinette said, adding a trademark Ladybug smirk, putting one hand on her hips. "But it's not like I'm wearing a Ladybug mask or anything, right?"

"What? Oh, that-I-I-just didn't expect to walk in on Ladybug, the shop seemed small. Not that Ladybug wouldn't work in a small store, but it was just-a shock- walking in on the Ladybug. It's an honor to meet you." The customer blubbered out with a small bow. "I am the witch Sapphiere."

"A pleasure to meet you Sapphiere." Marinette said, returning the bow.

"I love your dress by the way, wherever did you get it?" Sapphiere asked.

"Ah, this is one of my designs actually, all of the clothes in the store are." Marinette said, gesturing to the many small articles that lined the left side of the store, ranging from gloves to scarves. Her dress was more of a personal project than anything, it was red to match her mask, with small black frills lining the edges. The collar and areas near the frills were solid black as well, the edges forming floral silhouettes. It had taken a while to make, especially considering that it came down to her ankles, but Marinette was proud of it.

"Interesting, your very talented as a designer." Sapphiere complimented.

"Thank you, your dress looks lovely as well. The blue matches your eyes perfectly." Marinette returned, an embarrassed tint rising on her cheeks.

"Oh, this thing? It's just an everyday brand, you have heard of the Agreste company, no?" Sapphiere said, shrugging.

Marinette flinched on reflex when she heard the word Agreste, but that matter was not what needed her focus now, the customer did. Rubbing her hand nervously, she decided to change the subject by asking "Yes I have, are you looking for a charm of sorts to match your dress?"

"Yes, I am, but do you have any infused with luck in love? I've been lacking in the romance department for quite a while, and it's a little disappointing." Sapphiere said self-consciously.

"Don't be embarrassed, love charms are what I'm known for after all." Marinette reassured her, coming out from behind the counter to sort through the items she had on display, checking for anything that might suit the woman.

"Bracelet or necklace?" Marinette asked promptly.

"Bracelet." Sapphiere responded, nodding slightly.

Sapphiere had hazel hair, with dark blue eyes and pale skin. So Marinette could immediately discard any charms that had warm colors, they simply wouldn't go with Sapphiere's complexion. If she wanted to match Sapphiere's overall theme though, the bracelet would need a hint of blue somewhere.

Marinette found one eventually, a silver bracelet with tiny circles of blue topaz coming off it. Marinette proudly presented it to Sapphiere, awaiting her inspection.

"How much?" Sapphiere asked, examining the bracelet closely.

"After the infusion, 240 euros." Marinette answered, petting Tikki some more while she waited.

After another few minutes of consideration Sapphiere finally said "I'll take it."

"Great! Do you want to come with me to watch the infusion?" Marinette said with a smile.

"Yes please." Sapphiere said, handing the bracelet back to Marinette.

"Tikki, watch the shop please." Marinette ordered, giving the bird a murmur of thanks as it flew dutifully to its perch overlooking the store.

Marinette led Sapphiere to her office behind the counter, pulling out a chair for the woman to sit on as they entered. The room itself was furnished simply, with only a small table, a couple chairs, and a bookshelf. But it was cluttered with various objects, going from the bamboo sticks growing in the corner, to the red lanterns hanging from the ceiling.

Marinette went straight to the bookshelf, easily finding what she was looking for through the mess. Giving herself a satisfied smirk she set the objects on the only orderly part of the room, the small table. First she took out the rose quartz powder, sprinkling it into the outline of a maple leaf with seven points. Ignoring the confused look she got from Sapphiere, she made a circle inside the leaf and set the bracelet inside the circle.

Marinette stood to go to the potted peonies that sat next to the back window, picking off seven petals from the blooming flowers.

"Ladybug, if you don't mind me asking, I've never seen this pattern used before; are you sure it'll work?" Sapphiere asked hesitantly.

"Questioning me in my own field?" Ladybug teased, bringing the peony petals over and placing one at each point of the maple leaf.

"What! No, of course not! I would never-I was just-uh-just curious." Sapphiere exclaimed quickly, growing flustered much to Marinette's amusement.

"Questions aren't uncommon, my methods aren't Parisian anyways, they're Chinese. They're ancient too, passed down from my mother's side, so a lot of people don't know about them." Marinette reassured Sapphiere before taking off her black gloves to start channeling magic.

Raising her hands above the bracelet, Marinette hummed as she felt the magic seep out from her reserves, running through the channels in her arms to illuminate her hands in its soft pink light. It was like a gentle flame, warming Marinette from the tip of her head to the tips of her toes, and she could feel it constantly shifting, moving as if it was alive from her fingertips to the materials she had laid out.

The pink light spread to the formation on the desk, and soon the outlines that Marinette had sprinkled down were shining bright pink. The bracelet rose into the air, floating in front of Marinette's closed eyes. The outlines and peony flowers soon followed suit, rising to circle the bracelet.

Marinette kept her intentions strong in her mind, and her magic morphed to follow them. It was a practice that made vocal spells obsolete, but it took years of practice and skill to master effectively. Ladybug was considered a prodigy as a result of mastering the art at the age of 26.

The magic heated the air in the room as the powder and petals began to melt under its pressure. Molding them into a dark red liquid that flowed around the bracelet. With a sweeping motion from Marinette, the liquid quickly soaked into the bracelet, leaving behind no traces of its existence.

Marinette's magic began to fade, it's task complete. The bracelet lowered back down to the table, appearing unchanged but thrumming with energy. The pink light faded, receding from Marinette's hands and arms.

Opening her eyes, Marinette's first action was to inspect the bracelet for any flaws in her magic. Finding none, she presented it to Sapphiere proudly.

"Incredible." Sapphiere commented as she took the bracelet and put it on. The stones now had an undertone of violet if looked at under the right light, signaling the presence of magic.

"I'll just ring you up at the counter and you're free to go." Marinette said, walking briskly to the counter with Sapphiere trailing behind her.

The actual purchase didn't take any time at all, Marinette simply had to hunt down change for the notes that Sapphiere paid her with.

"This may be a little invasive, but what exactly is the spiral on your hand? I haven't ever seen anything like it." Sapphiere asked as Marinette handed her the change.

"Oh," Marinette said, looking down at the brown spiral that decorated the back of her right hand, realizing that the gloves that she usually wore had been left behind in her office. "this is also from my mother's side of the family; it comes with being a witch that specializes in love."

"How interesting." Sapphiere remarked, staring at the mark with interest. "I'm sorry but, it appears I'm out of time. I'll have to come back again if the bracelet works."

"I hope it does. Have a nice day." Marinette bid, her smile turning to a worried frown as soon as the woman was out of sight.

Tikki, sensing her emotional troubles, flew onto her shoulder and rubbed her cheek affectionately.

Marinette was to lost in her thoughts to notice though, her eyes trained on the spiral on her hand. More specifically the single remaining black line that went through the innermost band of the spiral.

She had been taught long ago by her mother how to read her spiral, what it meant, and what to do when it appeared on that fateful day.

There was only one line left, one line left out of the dozens that had been there years before.

It meant that Marinette Dupain-Cheng, also known as Ladybug, would die in two days.


	2. Of Hearts and Decisions

**This took longer than I expected to get up, my schedule was just taken up with school and writing more of Barriers. I also had a really tough time conveying Marinette's emotions, I knew what I wanted her to feel, but couldn't translate that into writing for a while. But here it is, enjoy!**

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Marinette paced furiously back and forth behind the counter of her shop. The dark circles under her eyes were prominent, given that she had barely gotten any sleep last night. She had instead spent it scouring through every resource she had on some way to prevent the spiral's magic, only to find nothing, absolutely nothing. Not even a way to extend her time limit.

She should have known what would have happened after she and him split ways after their few years attending the same university. But no, she had pushed it aside, swept it under the rug until the day it reared its ugly head. Hadn't paid it the attention it needed, and now she was paying the price. She was a fool. An arrogant, stubborn fool in thinking she could avoid this forever. That she would somehow be the exception to a centuries old system.

She debated calling her mother, see if maybe she had a solution, a trick that their ancestors had used in the past. But that would mean telling her parents about the issue in its entirety; and what would that bring? Her parents would be a mess of tears and apologies. Something Marinette didn't deserve, that her parents didn't deserve to go through.

"Why am I so stupid?" Marinette asked herself angrily, running her hands through her hair.

"Purr-lease my lady, don't think so little of yourself." A familiar voice spoke up beside her.

Marinette reacted on reflex, immediately turning to punch whoever had snuck up on her, only to hit empty air.

"Me-owch my lady, I didn't know you hated me so." Chat said dramatically, putting his hand over his heart in mock anguish.

"Sorry kitty, you scared me." Marinette said, leaning on the countertop to try and calm her nerves. Great, just great. There was also the matter of Chat. He had become quite attached to her over their time spent together, and once you got past the meaningless flirting, Marinette cared for and respected him too. She knew him well enough to know that his gentle heart would be just as broken as her parents if he heard the news. So he would receive the same treatment, blissful ignorance of her problem.

"Just here for your weekly checkup. So, stolen any hearts recently? Except mine of course." Chat asked, a wide grin covering his face.

"No I have not, especially not from some stray." Marinette said jokingly, trying to keep a semblance of normalcy in place.

"So what's wrong LB? You weren't pacing just for show, were you?" Chat asked, claws drumming across the counter.

"Nothing's wrong Chat, just a little tired." Marinette said, making sure to keep her voice as even as possible.

"Don't try to hide it. I know somethings wrong, I've known you long enough to tell when you're upset." Chat said, his voice turning serious.

Dammit, today just had to be the day Chat decided to check in, didn't it? After almost a year of him coming around at least once a week, and many emotional rants, the two of them could read the other quite well, probably even better than their own family. Marinette was much more likely to let something slip around him, just through her subconscious body language. Hiding the full truth would be impossible, but a half-truth could probably slip through his awareness.

"I've just come across some difficulties concerning my magic." Marinette said, cautiously choosing her words.

"Difficulties casting or…?" Chat asked, determined not to be deflected.

"It's just making me more tired than usual, and that's getting in the way of my work." Marinette said, the lie rolling off her tongue easily for once.

"Any ideas why?" Chat questioned further.

"Not yet, and that's the problem. I need to fix this as soon as possible." Marinette said, her worried tone ringing true even with the half-truth.

"Don't worry my lady, knowing you, it's im-paw-sible not to." Chat Noir said, his solemn look shifting into a grin at his pun.

"Again with the puns. I swear your addicted." Marinette mock scolded him while hiding her signs of relief. A pun using Chat was an unconcerned Chat after all.

"Cats do as they please, my lady." Chat teased, his tail waving with his merriment.

"Clearly." Marinette snorted, the banter coming instinctively.

They were interrupted by the ring of the shop door's bell, Chat disappearing at its call. A peculiar habit of his, as if he was determined not to be seen by anyone else. Marinette had never directly asked him about it, she had just assumed that it was one of the many regulations that came with being as deeply involved with the magic council as he was, but even then it was still peculiar. That's Chat for you, open and hidden all at once.

* * *

Tikki let out another warble towards the fading sunlight that shone through the shop windows. Looking at her owner with another concerned stare, she gave a softer coo in her direction; her girl had only gotten more lethargic as the day had gone on. The deep reality of the situation only sinking in further with time. Tikki could feel her unshed tears, a hollow echo inside Tikki's chest due to their connection, reflecting the regret and hopelessness.

Shuffling along the countertop, Tikki softly pecked one of her girl's hands that covered her bowed head. When her gesture wasn't acknowledged, Tikki pecked again, harder this time.

"Hey Tikki." Marinette reached out a hand to pet the bird, fingers shaking as they made contact. "I'm going to miss you, you know that?" Marinette continued with a sniffle.

Tikki just rubbed her head against Marinette's hand, giving the girl a soft coo.

"I'll close the shop tomorrow if I can't find anything tonight. Try and spend the day catching up with my parents, and my friends." Marinette told Tikki softly, letting the bird climb onto her shoulder as she straightened out her back.

What would Alya and Nino think about this? Marinette could still see how they would act, even if they only ever met for rare lunch outings as a group now. All of them were just caught up in their lives, too much to make time for the others. Alya was blossoming as a reporter, Nino was still trying to make a breakthrough in his music career, and Marinette had devoted herself to her shop.

What would she even tell them? Neither was magically gifted, so neither knew about Marinette's other occupation, rightly so. Bad things tended to happen to people who got mixed in with magical affairs. But why did it have to be like this?

She should have taken the leap back then, gotten past her awkwardness and actually hold a conversation with him. It might have been enough; it was more than what she had done. Four years of one sided greetings, of nervous smiles and mumbled confessions.

With a sigh Marinette leaned back on the counter, resting her head in crossed arms as she contemplated more, Tikki staying on her shoulder for a comforting presence.

"U-um, hello. La-Ladybug, right?" Marinette couldn't believe it; what were the chances!? She knew that voice, it's natural rhythm and tempo. How it would go soft when talking about his mother, downcast whenever he had to abandon their small group for a photoshoot, controlled whenever he was truly mad. She could still recall every little detail she had ever noticed about him, even after years of him being out of touch, after she supposedly "moved on" from him.

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean to bother you. I just wanted to know if you had a special type of charm." He said sheepishly, putting a hand around his neck just like he had before.

Adrien Agreste, her sole cause of ruin and savior all in one. The boy who had stolen her heart from their first conversation. Standing in front of her, talking to Ladybug, without any sort of magical disguise whatsoever. Marinette had long known he was a mage, even if he had never told any of them directly. Whoever the spirals appeared for was destined to either already have, or somehow gain magical abilities, it was just a long known fact.

"Adrien Agreste." Marinette, or should she say Ladybug, breathed. She was still processing that he was here, in her shop, asking her for a charm, and that only ever meant one thing. He wanted to get someone else's attention, or increase his chances of stumbling across someone just right for him.

"Yeah, that's me. I know your about to close, but could you help me with something?" Adrien asked, his eyes fliting around the room, taking extra precautions to make sure that they didn't land on her.

"Why don't you have a disguise? It's stupid, not to mention reckless. You're not exactly some plain Jane, anyone in Paris could recognize you in an instant. It's dangerous, especially in the magic world." Marinette spat out the first thing that came to her mind, her face going red underneath the mask. She really just said that after meeting her crush after years? Who is she kidding, of course she did, she's still Marinette, even with a fancy mask on. But she couldn't act like Marinette now, she had to be Ladybug and Ladybug only.

"Sorry, I'm just new at this whole magic thing. I'm not really exposed to it, my dad kinda kept me out of it for most of my life." Adrien said quickly, lowering his head apologetically.

 _"Sorry, I'm new at this whole friend thing. I've only ever known Chloe, but I'm not like her, I swear. Can we just start over please, as friends?" A kind voice reaching out to her in the middle of a thunderstorm. Then a searing pain on her right hand._

 _"Are you okay!?"_

 _"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine, it's nothing, really. Thanks for the umbrella, see you tomorrow." Waiting until he left, pulling out her right hand to examine it, gasping at the brown spiral she found there, covered in black dashes. She had to tell maman, she had found her soulmate._

"No, no! I shouldn't have snapped like that, but you really should be careful. Some people aren't nearly as nice as I am." Marinette said quickly, trying to shift into business mode. "So what were you looking for?"

"I'm wanted to see if maybe you had something that could lead to my soulmate, or something along those lines." He asked nervously.

 _"Oh, honey, I can't believe you found your soulmate! We're both so proud!"_

 _"But maman, what if I can't do it, what if the dashes run out before I can get him to kiss me?"_

 _"Don't worry Marinette, you're an amazing young lady, I'm sure you'll have charmed his socks off before the year is over. Just like I did with your father."_

 _"And I'll make sure of it!"_

 _"Tom! You know it has to be completely mutual or else it won't count."_

 _"But I can try, right?"_

 _"Thanks guys, but really, what happens if it doesn't work?"_

 _"Don't think about that, stay positive Marinette, and I'm sure you'll succeed."_

"I'll have to check, but I don't think I have anything like that already made." Marinette said, but seeing his face fall she quickly added. "But I could probably make one. It's not outside my skill range."

"Thank you!" Adrien replied with a smile that made Marinette's insides bubble childishly against her wishes.

Motioning Tikki off her shoulder, Marinette quickly checked her stock, her assumption proving to be correct. She called back to him "Sorry, I don't have anything premade, but you can pick out something now and I should be able to modify it."

"Okay, then how about this one?" Adrien replied, Marinette rushing out to see what he had chosen. It was an amber heart, set in a golden case, and held by a thick brown string.

"I thought it was fitting. Kind of poetic." Adrien explained, a light red tinting his cheeks.

 _"Why are we stuck with these spirals anyways? Isn't it a little extreme that if you don't get a kiss from whoever it shows up for that you die?"_

 _"I can't say why or when out family started having their spirals, but it was probably an exchange. One of our ancestors got it in exchange for their power over love, a power that we both have even now."_

 _"But still…"_

 _"Besides, I've always seen it as kind of poetic. A witch or warlock having to succeed in their own love if they want to keep using their powers over love."_

"I get it, don't worry. It is fitting." Marinette said softly, smiling at the memory he had conjured. "Just give me a minute to figure out exactly how I should go about this."

Pulling out her phone, she quickly found and dialed her mother, praying that she would have a better idea how to do this than her. Who knows, if it works, the necklace may just lead him to her, solving two problems at once. She scoffed at the thought, as if she was that lucky.

"Marinette? How are you doing?" Her mother answered cheerily.

"I'm good, but I need your help. I have a customer who wants a charm that will lead him to the one he is meant to be with, do you know what you need to enchant something on that scale?" Marinette asked quickly.

"Sure, but it won't be easy, you'll need a heart." Her mother said worriedly.

"I'll figure it out." Marinette reassured her before taking out a pen and paper to write down the list of ingredients and steps given to her.

"I love you Marinette, be careful." Her mother bid.

"You too." Marinette said, hanging up with a sigh. Most of the ingredients were quite basic, and the steps simple in comparison to some enchantments. There was only one problem though, the heart aspect. It was needed as the guiding force, and Marinette couldn't simply just walk out there and steal some poor passerby's heart. And she definitely couldn't use Adrien's heart for it, not like she would ever dream of taking his heart from him.

She could just say no, that it wasn't possible and send him on his way. Or she could try and get him to fall for her right now, make a desperate attempt to break the spiral's curse. Would it really be worth it though? It was obvious now that he wasn't interested in her in the slightest, if he was even remotely interested in plain Marinette, he would have just contacted her through Nino. But he didn't, making the rejection all that clearer. And who was she to try and steer him away from finding someone he actually wanted? Marinette had had her chance at this, a chance she had let slip through her fingers, that was too far gone to ever return.

There was a third option, one that made the most sense given the situation. All she needed was a heart…

"Come to the back, I can enchant the necklace for you." Ladybug said, keeping Tikki with her as she led Adrien to the back. She would need the familiar's help with this spell. Simple it may be, but the magical output it would require was tremendous.

Adrien nodded quickly before following her, keeping to the wall as they entered the back room.

"Sit." Marinette offered, pointing to an open chair as she gathered her materials. Adrien took the chair with a thankful smile, fingers fiddling with the heart locket.

Pulling up her own chair to the table, she pulled out another bag of rose quartz dust and sprinkled it into the outline of a heart, then made an eye inside the heart, with its pupil center.

Next she scattered the inside of the heart with rose and peony petals, coupled with koi scales, making sure to keep them outside the eye's outline. She then took one of each petal and swallowed them, grimacing at the bitterness. The final step in preparation was dusting her chest with the rose quartz powder.

Taking the heart necklace from Adrien when he offered it to her, she unhooked the heart from its string, setting the heart itself on top of the eye's pupil. Making one last check to make sure Tikki was on her shoulder and ready, she summoned her magic once more.

Coursing through her veins with a jolt, the magic raced into the rose quartz lighting it up in a flash. Tikki's magic soon followed, at a slower pace, interweaving itself with Marinette's own seamlessly. The petals and scales were turned to liquid soon enough, pouring themselves into the amber heart. The rose quartz stayed where it was, it's pink color slowly being sucked into the pendant.

Marinette's chest began to glow a soft pink, the rose quartz on her chest reacting to the magic. The soft pink soon began to shift, a vortex of red appearing as an effect of the petals Marinette had swallowed. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Marinette moved her hands to reach inside her chest, fingertips sparking as her magical output grew. Adrien's terrified stare was irrelevant, a background distraction from her focus and effort.

Her hands entered her chest, leaving the physical plane and entering the spiritual with a surprised gasp from Marinette. Her hands were still there per say, but only an echo of flesh, a ghost-like transparency reaching inside of her. Searching for the desired object, her hands fished around, finally grasping it tightly as she pulled them out.

With a choked cry, her hands reemerged, cradling a tiny ball of light. Glowing and swirling with orange, red, blue, and pink, the orb floated quietly in Marinette's hand, shaking unsteadily even as magic circled around it.

"Guide him to the one he loves and who will love him in return. That is your task now." Marinette whispered as she brought the orb up to her lips to give it an airy kiss. The orb let out its own pulse of magic at the kiss, turning it from a flickering ball to a raging ethereal fire, encasing Marinette's hands in its flames, licking hungrily for something to contain it.

Cupping her hands to control the flames, she tilted them towards the amber heart, giving them a small push with her magic. The flames eagerly fell down into the pendant with a flash, leaving Marinette's hands empty and the heart pendant shining.

Marinette let her magic fade, staring at the traces sadly as they flowed into the heart pendant, returning to where their source now lay.

Marinette grabbed the heart, moving to stand up and give it back to Adrien only to fall into the table, barely catching herself with her hands.

"Are you okay!?" Adrien asked, scrambling forward to help her up.

"I'm fine just give me a minute." Marinette said, she would have gone bright red from his touch earlier, but now, now it was just numbness. A cold spreading numbness filling her insides with ice. She felt like throwing up, silent tears streaming down her face as the emptiness in her chest became prominent.

Adrien rubbed his hand in soothing circles on her back, trying his best to comfort her as she stared emptily down at the table.

Tikki glided down to the table, treading carefully over the blackened rose quartz dust to stare up in Marinette's unfocused eyes. Manipulating the heart pendant out of Marinette's lose grip, Tikki picked it up in her beak and tried to push it into Marinette's chest, where she knew it should be. But the magic was long gone, the pendant hanging uselessly from Tikki's beak.

Setting it down, Tikki let out a confused cry, something wasn't as it should be, she could feel it. Her girl was missing the spark that she had cherished and cared for long before Tikki had met her. Her feathers rose in agitation, her gaze coming to rest on the boy. He had caused this, she knew it somehow, in her gut, that this was all his fault. Her girl wasn't nearly as smart around him as she was with everything else, Tikki knew it, she had seen it with her own eyes as her girl stumbled and tripped over backwards for him countless times. The scarf that was unappreciated, the favors that went unnoticed, the kindness taken not nearly as seriously as it should have been, the tears shed when he had talked about staying friends forever, only friends. Her girl didn't need or want a friend from this boy, she wanted and needed a partner, a mate.

The boy didn't care though, he didn't see her struggle, didn't hear her cries, didn't ever give her what she needed. He only brought ruin to her girl, Tikki was sure of it.

Her feather rising up further in rage, Tikki gave an angry squawk towards Adrien, crouching low and spreading her wings out in preparation to charge at him before her girl's voice stopped her.

"Tikki, it's okay girl. I'll be okay, I am okay." Marinette said, Tikki turning away from Adrien at her command, instead choosing to offer the pendent out to Marinette again. Marinette took it with a thankful pat before removing herself from Adrien's grip to turn and give him the pendant.

He took it hesitantly, asking "Are you okay? What happened back there?"

"I forcefully removed a large chunk of my magic in order to speed up the spell. It just took a lot out of me. But thanks for your concern." Marinette said, not caring if her voice sounded cold or distant.

Meanwhile, Tikki had grown enraged again when she saw Adrien take the heart from Marinette, going back to her original plan of attacking the clueless boy.

"Tikki! Stop that now! If you're going to keep trying to attack my customers, you can just go sit on your stand." Marinette ordered with a huff, the reluctant bird flying away with one final grumble.

"Familiars can be tricky, huh? I can relate to that, Plagg's a little shit most of the time." Adrien said as the two of them walked to the counter.

"You have a familiar too?" Marinette questioned, genuinely curious as she monotonously calculated the charge of the necklace.

"Yeah, he's a little black cat. Just about the most infuriating thing on earth." Adrien confirmed with a grimace.

"Does he at least like you?" Marinette asked, handing him the receipt.

"I think he cares about me, at least a little bit. But he probably cares about the cheese more." Adrien said with a huff.

"Cheese?" Marinette asked incredulously, fishing out change for the money he gave her.

"Yeah, the little bastard loves it more than life itself." Adrien joked with a small chuckle.

"Really? Tikki loves cookies, especially chocolate chip." Marinette said as she handed back his change.

"That's definitely odd." Adrien agreed, their conversation dwindling into silence.

"Be careful with the necklace, it's incredibly fragile and can't be fixed. It should do its job, but you can bring it back to me if you have any problems." Marinette said, rubbing her right hand.

"I will, and just let me say. I can't thank you enough for this, it's everything I wanted." Adrien said earnestly, missing Marinette's flinch at the latter part.

"Don't worry about it. It's what I'm here for, right? I help people with love." Marinette said eyes shining as he bid her goodbye. Tikki gave on final screech at Adrien as he left, her blue eyes staring furiously after him. As soon as he was gone, Marinette leaned back down on the counter, taking deep breaths to calm herself.

"Tikki, I just gave my heart away. I gave my heart away." Marinette rambled to herself, babbling out everything that came to mind. "I can't use magic now that, that its gone. What did I do? Well, not like I was going to need it anyways, with this stupid spiral death sentence. He'll probably end up happy with it, more than he would have with me. Stupid, clumsy, idiotic me."

Marinette could live with her choice, no matter how great her shock, something inside of her whispered that she would have done it anyways if he had asked, even without the circumstances behind it. She just hoped she could bear with the emptiness resting inside her chest, cold and hollow and just, well, empty. Is this what everyone felt like after having their heart taken, or was it just because she had been forced to tear it out of herself instead of coaxing it out like she normally did?

She knew that the heart was the epicenter of emotions in magic, at least in its true form. A ball of heatless flames that was the key to your every decision. Possessing it gave one the power to influence every move you made, every path you "chose" from then on out.

So sure, it may have been reckless, and incredibly stupid, but still, Marinette knew she wouldn't regret it. Giving Adrien her heart would be her final deed, a departing gift of sorts. And besides, he's always had her heart in his hands anyway.

* * *

 **No happy endings for anyone here, besides, who needs happy endings?**  
 **Also, if anyone is wondering how Tikki saw what went on with Marinette and Adrien, she's a magic bird, what can't she do?**  
 **-"Save Marinette apparently ;)"- Shut up sarcasm, your input isn't needed here.**  
 **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it, please leave your opinions in the comments. I love reading them!**


	3. Of Ends and Beginnings

**Holy shit this took me too long to get out. 6 months? I'll be surprised if there's still a person out there who didn't give up on this story, I would have. The only thing I can say is that I could never find time to work on this in between working on Barriers(when that was still up) and school. Its longer than the first two chapters combined though, so I guess that's a plus? I don't know, but I hope you enjoy it. It has been a fun ride, if an overly long one.**

* * *

Adrien couldn't stop pacing. He couldn't help it. To the door, to back to the edge of his bed, and then back again. Plagg stared at him sourly from where he was sprawled across the bedsheets.

"Plagg, this feels wrong. That felt wrong. Why did I ever think this was a good idea?" Adrien ranted to the familiar. Looking down at the amber heart that hung from his chest, thrumming softly with golden light.

Plagg simply huffed in response, stretching himself out even more.

"I knew I should have just confessed to her as Chat. She likes Chat well enough, right? We have known each other for almost a year." Adrien ran his hand through his hair, pausing for a moment to try and calm himself down. It never did him any good to get worked up like this.

How did it ever get to this? Why couldn't love just be straightforward, like the stories he had grown up with? All he had wanted after escaping from under his father's cold thumb was to try and live his life to the fullest, focus on the things he had been neglecting for far too long.

That's where Ladybug had come in, in all of her glory. His first major assignment while working for the magic council. A lone witch who had a penchant for stealing hearts at her clients request, even from those who weren't magically inclined. He had been asked to monitor her activities and put a stop to her if she broke the guidelines laid down by the council.

That's where this all started, the moment he laid eyes on her he knew there was no coming back. Chat Noir was known for being silent but deadly, only talking to those he deemed necessary. Not with her though, never with her. Words leapt from his mouth, sometimes without his bidding, and almost a third of them flirtatious, much to his embarrassment at first. He hid that well enough, at least he thought so, and soon enough he had a whole new persona built around her. Chat Noir, the cocky, arrogant, flirty, but kindhearted and powerful warlock.

He cherished every moment they spent together, and had soon begun to prefer his time as Chat over his time as Adrien, if only for her.

Adrien Agreste was still needed though, as a high school physics teacher for kids with special needs. Don't get him wrong, he adored both his jobs, but he wanted Ladybug just as much, if not more so. She offered him a serenity that he had been sorely lacking for far too long.

Every time she smiled, he couldn't help but fall in love just a little bit more. A warmth blossomed in his chest whenever he thought of her, and he was content knowing that she was the reason for it.

She always had a smile on her face, even if it was pressed from stress, or barely visible because of exhaustion. Even if everything else about her looked like she wanted to curl into a ball and hide from the world, her smile stayed, plastered on like glue.

Like today, especially today. Adrien didn't think he had ever seen her this upset. He was angrier with himself, though. He should have pressed harder as Chat, shouldn't have resorted to walking in as Adrien. He only felt like he had made everything worse somehow. He had just wanted answers. And his dumb ass had decided that prying for them as Adrien would be the best option. Yeah right.

The necklace gave a loud thrum, a small pulse of magic leaking out. The necklace. It should make him feel better, but it's doing just the opposite. How Ladybug made the necklace had sent a chill down his spine, flooding his senses with an innate feeling of just wrongness, as if they were breaking some unspeakable taboo. Although, he was the one who specialized in destruction magic, the ability to wilt away anything he touched, but this was different, so different.

He should have stopped her, as soon as he felt that the spell was going sour, he should have stopped her. Why didn't he just stop her?

"Plagg, I'm going out." He was going to do something, better than sitting here and chasing his thoughts in circles for the rest of the night.

Plagg ignored him, more content to snore to himself as his paws twitched. Probably dreaming about cheese, the little imp. But Plagg did put up the disguise again without Adrien having to ask him, so he let it slide with an amused smile. Grabbing his favorite scarf from his closet, the one his father had given him years ago, he walked out.

The night air nipped at his face, making Adrien pull up his scarf more. Even when he was bundled up in his coat, the chill still gave him goosebumps.

He fingered the amber heart that weighed on his chest, its light dimly shining in the dark street.

"Guide me, please. I just want to know." He whispered to it, trusting that it would respond. To distrust it would be to distrust his lady, and that was something he couldn't make himself do.

Please let it lead back to her, even if it was her civilian persona, he wouldn't care, so long as it's her. She had always been against revealing themselves, even long after they had grown to trust the other, but if it could silence the storm in his chest, or ease her troubles somehow, then it would all be worth it.

The heart shone brighter, lifting itself out of the folds of the scarf to hover in front of his nose. There was a small tug at his neck as the necklace pulled against his body. As he stepped forward it followed him, continuing to gently tug him towards his destination.

He followed it wordlessly, whispering a simple spell to conceal the necklace from prying eyes. The chill of the air faded as his focus centered around the necklace floating in front of him, only giving a whispered "I'm sorry" to anybody he happened to bump into in his quest.

The light swelled bright in a flash that made Adrien shield his eyes from the intensity, then swiftly cancelled itself out, leaving Adrien standing beneath a small, modest apartment. He checked the necklace one last time to make sure this was where it had intended to come. Satisfied with its silence, Adrien looked over the exterior of the apartment with wonder filled eyes.

This might just be where his lady lived, his hopes fulfilled. Or, it could be someone else, a stranger he didn't know or care for. He walked up, fully intent on knocking right here and now, but stopped as he took in the dark sky. What time was it? He took out his phone, staring down in shock at the time that stared back at him, 12:43 to be exact.

He couldn't just come out of nowhere in the middle of the night, he'd be more likely to be taken as a creep, even if the person behind that door was his lady. But, shouldn't he at least try right now, ease his worries as soon as possible?

Shaking his head in disagreement with his thoughts, he reasoned that he could just as well come back tomorrow. He'd be much less likely to startle her then, there he went assuming the occupant inside was Ladybug, and would probably be a bit more presentable and orderly than he was right now.

Affirming his decision with a nod, he made sure to memorize the apartment number along with the directions he took back to his house for tomorrow. Tomorrow, he would settle all this tomorrow.

* * *

Marinette was curled into a ball, swaddled with blankets as she stared blankly into the wall in front of her. An empty tin of ice cream sat beside her, its contents slowly devoured throughout the course of the morning.

Tikki sat beside her on the couch, leaning onto Marinette's legs, trilling soft notes into the air.

Marinette had already seen her parents this morning, only minutes after telling them everything over the phone, tears streaming down her face. They had wanted to stay for longer, until the end, but Marinette had convinced them to leave not too long ago, at the excuse that she wanted to spare them the pain, which was true.

She didn't want anyone but Tikki to witness her pitiful demise, and she wouldn't even have Tikki here if she could. Why should she force others to sit through the consequences of her own stupidity? Her death would be painful, from what she had read, and prolonged, possibly for hours. There was no way out of this now, not with Adrien long gone.

Head in her knees, Marinette reached down to stroke Tikki, feeling her familiar lean into her touch.

That reminded her, she had a contract to break.

Keeping her hand on Tikki, she muttered "From stranger to comrade and stranger once more. End the cycle, stop the flow, return to what each was."

Tikki squirmed as she felt Marinette breaking the bond they had formed many years before. That bond was precious, it didn't need to be touched, not now.

The breakage didn't require any magic on Marinette's part, just speaking the chosen words was enough. Tikki felt her magic being pushed back into herself, leaving Marinette completely alone internally.

Ladybug collapsed, the disguise coming down with a sigh from Marinette and a cry from Tikki.

Once it was done, Marinette let go of Tikki, who sprung up immediately with another cry. Tikki jumped up onto Marinette's knees, rubbing her head across the top of Marinette's head, crooning softly. She held out her magic, an offering to renew what had been shattered. The offering was shut down with the subtle shake of Marinette's head.

"I'm not letting you get hurt by this Tikki. If we're not bonded, then you won't feel any of it. It's better for both of us."

Tikki ignored her, choosing to envelop the girl in her magic anyways, just in case Marinette changed her mind.

* * *

"Plagg, can you come with me? In case it's really her." Adrien asked, giving the sour cat a hopeful glance.

Plagg only lifted his chin, a silent message of "I don't feel like it" coming across loud and clear to Adrien.

"I'll get you Camembert if you do." Adrien offered, "Of course, that's only if you want."

Plagg jumped up at the mention of Camembert, practically racing to the door. He scratched at it, looking back at Adrien expectantly.

"Come on Plagg, up on the shoulder before we go." Adrien got down on his knees and leaned a shoulder over. Plagg leapt up, draping himself across Adrien's shoulders.

His familiar content, Adrien headed out, retracing the path he had walked late last night. He wished he had been able to come sooner, but classes had gone longer than usual, and he hadn't been able to make it any earlier.

The apartment was upon him sooner than he expected, looming and ominous. He walked up to the door, but stopped his shaking hand just as it was about to knock.

What if this was a mistake? There were so many things that could go wrong. What if he was just a disappointment to her, them, whoever was behind the door. What if she-they- just hated him? What if-

Plagg gave out a questioning mew, interrupting Adrien's panicked thoughts. The annoyed cat jumped to the ground, scratching at the door as if to say "Why don't you just knock already?"

"Take off the disguise first Plagg." Adrien ordered.

Plagg tilted his head in confusion, but did as he was asked, the magic slipping away with ease.

Taking a fortifying breath, Adrien knocked on the door. He waited for a reply, bouncing on the balls of his feet with anticipation and worry.

None came, the door stayed shut, not a sound to be heard from inside. Plagg weaved through Adrien's legs, growling with impatience.

"Give it a minute Plagg." He muttered. Maybe he should come back later. One more knock couldn't hurt, right?

Adrien went with it, giving the door a couple more knocks, now shifting from foot to foot.

Silence again, he couldn't hear any sounds of movement no matter how hard he strained. With a sigh, he turned around, prepared to go home and give it another try later, then a crash resounded from within the apartment, followed by the familiar screech of a bird he knew only too well.

"We're going in Plagg." Adrien warned Plagg before summoning his magic, stepping into a nearby shadow. He usually wasn't inclined to go and sneak into other people's houses, but that crash had sounded anything but good, he just hoped she would forgive him later. The shadows reached up at his whispered command, enveloping him and Plagg in darkness as they dragged them into the ground.

Looking up from the pitch black abyss he and Plagg now stood in, Adrien scanned the pools of white that sat above Plagg and him, looking for the one that would lead into the apartment. He found one quickly, experience on his side, it appeared to be the shadow of a kitchen chair. He reached for it, managing to snag its edge. Forcing it to expand, he pulled himself upwards through it, Plagg following him with a swift jump.

Standing up next to a chair, true to his assumption, Adrien took in his surroundings.

The chair accompanied a small table. The kitchen was off to his left, compact but pristine. He took a couple of hesitant steps forward, suddenly double guessing his decision to come inside uninvited.

Plagg had no such inhibitions though, and strolled straight down the hallway in front of Adrien, tail beckoning for him to follow.

So, Adrien did, although he kept his shoulders hunched in and tread carefully. All hesitation was dropped as soon as he rounded the corner, turning into what appeared to be the living room. The sight he saw was a rush of nostalgia and horror all at once.

It was Marinette, sweet and shy Marinette from his college days. In any other situation he would have been glad to see her again, but not here, not like this.

She was collapsed on the floor, curled up into herself and shaking with either pain or fear, it looked like a culmination of the two.

Adrien ran to her, setting himself down on his knees as he probed her with his magic, searching for any sign of what was wrong. His magic focused on her right hand, an unpleasant feeling settling in his stomach as he magically examined it. Taking her hand in his, he slowly turned it over, watching to make sure he didn't put her in any more pain, and discovered a brown spiral decorating it. The spiral had one dash going through it, although it was barely visible, even when he squinted at it.

His magic was centered around it, so it had to be somehow related to Marinette's pain, but he hadn't ever seen anything like it.

"Adrien? What are you-" Marinette whispered the question, only to groan in pain, curling into a tighter ball.

"Marinette, can you tell me what's wrong?" Adrien asked, his mind slowly drifting back into a panic. The problem was clearly magically based, so an ambulance wouldn't be able to help, and he didn't know any magic healers. He had to do something. What? What could he do? There had to be something, anything.

A flash of red feathers blinded him for a moment, he looked up to see Tikki flying in front of him. She let out a desperate cry, landing besides Marinette to nuzzle the whimpering woman.

Marinette had Tikki. Ladybug's familiar. Tikki was with Marinette. Marinette was, Marinette was, Marinette was. Ladybug was…

Ladybug-Marinette was in pain, everything else Adrien could sort out later.

"Tikki. I don't know what's happening. Can you help me, show me how to stop this?" Adrien pleaded with the bird while running a hand through Marinette's hair, trying to soothe her as best he could.

Tikki stared at him for a moment, her eyes piercing, before flying off towards the back of the house, Plagg following her.

Marinette whimpered, flinching away from his touch suddenly. Adrien quickly pulled his hand away, looking around for anything that might comfort her. Seeing nothing of use, he resorted to babbling whatever came to his mind, hoping that his voice didn't sound as panicked as he thought it did.

Waiting for Tikki to return, it gave him a few moments to calm the storm in his head. Although, most of it went towards forming the cascade of questions he would have for Marinette once this was over. If Marinette came out of this-no, he couldn't think like that, they would find a solution for this.

The feeling of paws on his leg notified him of both the familiar's return, Tikki settled next to Marinette, stepping off a small book that was clutched in her claws. She nudged the book closer to Adrien, a clear message to use it.

Adrien picked up the book, flipping through the first couple of pages. It was Marinette's diary, starting from her first day in college. How could this help him?

"Tikki? What am I supposed to do with this?" Adrien asked the bird, still scanning the pages desperately for an answer.

Tikki responded with a rush of magic, turning the pages in a blur until they stopped on the entry Tikki was looking for.

"Read this?" Adrien asked for conformation.

Tikki nodded her head, turning her attention back on Marinette.

Adrien read, words flying beneath his eyes. The entry was dated, the day he and her had become friends. He remembered it well, but… Why this? What could this entry have that could help him now?

Marinette started to shiver, coughing violently.

"Marinette? Marinette?" Adrien set down the book, keeping the page marked so he could get back to it, and rubbed circles on Marinette's back. It seemed to help, until one bout of coughing ended with Marinette spitting up a puddle of blood.

The shivering stopped just as quickly as it had begun, Marinette's body slowly relaxing, uncurling and going limp.

Adrien checked the back of her right hand again, eyes going wide when he saw that the black dash had faded even further, only the edges visible at all. He had a feeling all would be lost if he didn't find a solution before that mark was gone.

"Marinette. Just stay with me, okay? Just stay with me." Adrien said, grabbing the book and reading with even more vigor.

He found it, she had started talking about the spiral on her hand.

" _Maman says that every dash is about a couple days in time, and if you haven't gotten a kiss from the one it appears for before the dashes disappear, you'll die. It's pretty extreme, if you ask me, but every mage in our family has it, whether they want it or not. It's just the price we paid, at least, that's what Maman says. I just hope I can get Adrien to kiss me by then. I mean, I think he's charming, but if he doesn't want it then I'm ruined."_

Wait a minute, Marinette liked him!? He always thought she was terrified of him. But there were more important things than that, judging by what it said, he just had to kiss her to stop this, easy enough. But…

What if it didn't work? But it's all he had, it was the only clue he had.

Marinette started to cough again, another pool of blood joining the first one. The dash looked fainter than ever, and her cheeks were paler than the tile floor she was laying on.

He had to go for it, he had to try. He would apologize afterwards, since he technically didn't have her consent, but if it saved her life it would be worth it.

Taking a deep breath, Adrien bent his head down. Making sure to cushion Marinette's head with his hand, he closed his eyes as lips met lips, and the world exploded with sensations.

It was electrifying, that was how he would describe it at first, then it melted down into something softer, but just as intense. A fire ignited, spreading its soft warmth all the way down to his fingertips. It was everything he imagined it to be, yet nothing like he thought. And god, was it incredible.

Eyes widening, Adrien realized he had been there far longer than he had any right to be. Scrambling back, he gave out a mumbled stream of apologies, even if Marinette still looked to be unconscious.

Adrien stared, the seconds ticking by as he scanned for any sign of movement, any at all. He checked the spiral on the back of her hand, and found it to have turned completely black, with no dashes in it at all. What did it mean? Was he too late? Did he fail? Was she gone?

Dammit, please be okay. Please have let it work. Adrien felt for a pulse, almost collapsed in relief when he found it. It was faint, too faint, but it was there, and Marinette didn't appear to be in pain anymore.

He did it. He actually did it. The realization came with a breathless laugh, he didn't know what he was laughing at, but did it matter at this point? The relief flooding in his veins was overpowering, chasing out his fears, as well as his adrenaline. He felt himself start to relax, his body wanting nothing more than to just sleep right where he sat, but he had more important priorities.

Now, he had to get Marinette comfortable. Picking her up gently, he set her in her bed. Tikki landed on her chest, settling herself down to sleep as well. Adrien simply pulled the blanket over both of them, figuring that if Tikki was against it she would find her own way out.

Plagg jumped up as well, never one to refuse an open bed, and curled up next to Marinette's side. Adrien could have sworn he heard the cat purring softly, but that was crazy, Plagg only purred for cheese.

Adrien pulled one of the kitchen chairs in and set it down next to the bed. He had to be here in case something else happened, especially since it didn't look like Marinette had anyone living with her.

Oh right, Marinette was Ladybug. Now that the situation was mostly over, Adrien had some more time to process the information. Marinette was Ladybug, she had had a crush on him, Ladybug had had a crush on him, and he loved Ladybug and- that was enough of that.

Still, Marinette really had a crush on him? Well, she probably didn't by now, considering they hadn't talked in years, not since his father had all but kept him jailed inside his own home. He wished he had realized it back then, before this evolved into the tangled mess it was now. It would have been a lot simpler.

He certainly wouldn't have been against the idea of going out with Marinette, even years before meeting Ladybug. He had gathered that she was an incredible person, if only from the glimpses he got when she didn't know he was looking. Although, a relationship would have been hard to maintain with his father involved; so, maybe it was a good thing that this was happening now?

Ugh, he was just going around in circles again. Save it for when Marinette wakes up, or else he would drive himself insane. Instead, Adrien entertained himself throughout the night by creating figures from the shadows on the ground. Grand adventures of cats and ladybugs, told through ragtag shadow puppetry, entertained his weary mind.

Marinette woke with a groan, shifting the blanket off her. Tikki greeted her with a happy chirp, flying to Marinette's shoulder to rub her cheek.

Marinette sat up, looking at her hands in confusion. Blinking, she muttered "I'm still alive?"

Was this the afterlife? Well, she hoped not, since Tikki was with her. Moving her legs to stand up, she was distracted by the annoyed growl that followed the motion. Peering at her legs, she was met by the emerald stare of a clearly miffed black cat.

"Who are you?" Marinette asked, eyes unconsciously moving to watch the cat's tail as it waved back and forth. Reminded her of Chat in a way.

The cat mewed in response, jumping down to brush up against someone's leg. Someone who happened to be Adrien, as she found out as her eyes traveled upwards, her jaw slowly inching towards the floor at the revelation.

Adrien was here. Adrien was in her room as she speaks. He's in her room, sleeping on a chair next to her bed. He's in her room, and she's still alive, so…

Marinette's face flushed, her mind reduced to its stuttering teenage years in an instant at the conclusion she had drawn.

Adrien kissed her, he'd have had to. It was the only logical explanation. But how? Why? What?

Now her head was really spinning. Taking a fortifying breath, she steadied herself and her nerves, and stood up from her bed. At least, she would have if she hadn't fallen to her knees the moment she tried to support herself. He arms flailed out, latching onto the nearest surroundings for support, one of which just happened to be Adrien's knee.

Adrien yelped, jumping up quickly, and Marinette didn't need her magic to feel the air around him supercharge as he summoned his, clearly expecting a fight.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." Marinette said, her voice surprisingly calm to her ears.

"It's fine." Adrien said with a yawn, the charge in the air dissolving. He then seemed to realize where exactly he was, his complexion melting into a bright face, stuttering mess. The sight made Marinette want to laugh, but she felt that she would just hurt his feelings and make him feel even less easy, so instead she smiled reassuringly up at him.

"You can explain in a minute; can you help me up though? I don't think I can get up on my own."

"Of course! Do you want coffee?" Adrien immediately offered his hand out, easing her back up onto the bed.

"Umm, sure." Marinette agreed, ignoring the strangeness of it all for now. As long as Tikki didn't have a problem with it, Marinette could deal with it. She knew for a fact that the bird wouldn't stand for anyone with less than pure intentions near her, not that she didn't trust Adrien, but Tikki's acceptance was the best reassurance Marinette could have right now.

She supposed that she ought to be more shaken up after her near death experience, but she could only feel relief and serenity from the simple fact that she was still here, alive and well against the odds. She looked down when she felt the touch of fur around her ankles, to see the black cat staring up at her, Plagg if she remembered right.

Plagg purred against her leg, asking for a scratch. Marinette complied, scratching him behind the ears to his satisfaction. Even Tikki hopped down beside him, clearly enjoying the feeling of the cat's fur.

She barely noticed Adrien come back in, coffee in hand, not when Plagg had become a purring blob underneath her fingers.

"Are you some kind of witch?" Adrien teased, smiling when Marinette jerked her head back up with a start. "Plagg doesn't even do that for me unless I offer him cheese." He explained, setting the coffee down on her nightstand, taking one cup in his own hands.

"Huh." Was all Marinette managed to say, the surprised blush fading slightly. Plagg had perked up at the mention of cheese, but decided that he didn't feel like wasting effort on moving.

"So," Marinette and Adrien said simultaneously, each stopping when they realized they were talking over the other. "You go first."

"You start, please. I'm very interested in how you ended up in my house." Marinette cut in before they could interrupt each other again. An unconscious smirk rose up on her face as she saw Adrien completely shut down at the statement, muttering unintelligible noises as he tried to get his mind in order.

"Oh! That. Well, I'm really sorry for coming into your house without asking, but I was outside and I heard a crash from inside, and I got worried." Adrien explained, keeping his gaze on the floor. "So, I maybe sort of snuck in here to make sure that whoever was inside was okay. I didn't know it was you, not until I saw you on the floor. And it kinda went from there."

Adrien trailed off, taking a hesitant sip of his coffee, only to recoil when his tongue came back out thoroughly scorched.

Marinette couldn't help but snort at the sight, only smiling even more at Adrien's petulant frown.

"So, yesterday." Adrien probed gently, checking her reaction to make sure she was okay with it.

"Yesterday." Marinette hummed back, falling silent as she turned over possibilities in her mind. She would have to come clean, about everything, that much was obvious. But how to go about it?

"I, well. What do you know?" It was Marinette's turn to stumble, hugging herself as she kept her gaze downcast.

"Tikki showed me one of your diary entries, and it cleared up a lot of things. About your spiral and all of that."

"Ah."

"Why didn't you tell me? Back when it first showed up." Adrien narrowed his eyes, gritting his teeth.

Marinette shrunk down, wrapping her arms tighter. "I didn't want to."

"Why not?" Adrien stared at her like she was crazy.

"It's not like you would have said yes. I'm a nobody and you're Adrien Agreste, the son of possibly the most famous designer in all of France." Marinette sighed. "Why would you even notice me? You had plenty of better options."

"What are you talking about?" Adrien fumed, indignant and outraged. "You're amazing. I thought you were great. You were always helping anyone and everyone who asked. You didn't deal with any of Chloe's crap." Adrien smiled. "And you're one of the most respected witches in all of Paris, Ladybug."

"I, uh-who's Ladybug!" Marinette squawked out, her eyes blown wide.

"Marinette." Adrien said gently. "I recognized Tikki from yesterday, she's your familiar, right?"

Marinette turned to give Tikki a small pat on the back, her gaze downcast as she whispered back "Not anymore."

Adrien froze for a moment, processing the information before saying "What?"

"I destroyed our contract this morning." Marinette's hand retreated back to her stomach. "She's not my familiar."

"Why?" Adrien stared at her, dumbfounded. "Why would you break it?"

"I didn't exactly think I was going to make it past sunset." Marinette gave a bitter chuckle. "I wasn't going to let Tikki go through that."

"Like me?" The comment was given before Adrien could process it, but he had spent all night turning over his thoughts, and once the floodgates were open there was no stopping the tide. "You were just going to leave me alone? If I hadn't walked into your shop as Adrien, if I hadn't been able to get here in time, you would have just left?" Adrien's breath hitched, his eyes beginning to burn. "Is that all I meant to you? After a year?"

"A-Adrien," Marinette stammered, reaching out to put a hand over Adrien's. "We haven't spoken in years. What are you talking about?"

Adrien jerked his hand away from Marinette's as he jumped to his feet, snapping. "You can see it for yourself, can't you?"

"See what, Adrien?" Marinette's voice rose to match his, her sympathy turning into annoyance.

"You can't play dumb this time, _Ladybug_." Adrien's face twisted into a bitter grimace. "I won't let it slip past me this time."

"What are you talking about?" Marinette cried out, exasperated. Beside her, Tikki begun to puff up, her feathers bristling as the air grew tenser.

"Plagg. Make sure it's on." Adrien turned to his familiar, barking out the order. Plagg responded with an annoyed hiss, his magic flaring for a moment before settling around Adrien.

Turning back to Marinette, Adrien sighed, spreading his hands wide to reveal himself. "See it now?"

Marinette didn't respond though, her gaze still scrunched in confusion as she scanned Adrien head to toe, searching for whatever he was trying to show her.

"Adrien, I can't see anything." Marinette admitted quietly, trying to get across that she truly meant it.

"Of course you can't." Adrien grumbled, his shoulders sagging.

"I'm serious!" Marinette stood, ignoring the dizziness that followed the action. "I'm trying to see something, but I can't see any difference!"

"You have magic, don't you?" Adrien spat back. "You can see it just fine."

Marinette froze, her face stricken. With a shaky breath, she lowered herself back onto the bed, steadying herself as she struggled to breath. Silent tears slipped down her cheeks, and she quickly scrubbed them away, but not before Adrien had seen them.

"Marinette?" Marinette, what is it?" Adrien's anger had faded, shoved down by the concern that now flooded his features.

"Adrien-oh god Adrien. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Marinette, buried her face in her hands, her quiet sobs distorted in her palms. "I'm so stupid-why was I so stupid?"

"Sorry? Marinette, what are you saying?"

"What have I done?" Marinette whispered, turning up her face so she could look up into Adrien's eyes. "I don't have magic anymore Adrien. I gave it up."

"You what?" Adrien nearly squawked, guilt flashing on his face. "How? No wonder you couldn't-I'm sorry I snapped, but-how do you _not_ have magic anymore?"

"I uh, funny story actually, that-" Marinette fumbled, her eyes flickering between the necklace peeking out from Adrien's shirt and Tikki, who was looking up at her with knowing eyes. "There was a customer that came in yesterday. He said he wanted-" Marinette took in a shuddering breath. "he wanted something that would help lead him to his soulmate, or something like it."

Adrien felt dread coiling in his gut, weighing him down as his mind realized just exactly what customer she was talking about. Part of him felt sick, but he didn't dare interrupt for fear that if he did, Marinette might stop talking about it completely.

Marinette refused to look up at him now, staring resolutely downwards at her trembling hands. "So, I asked my mother about it. There was just one issue, I needed a- a heart. And stealing hearts isn't exactly something that's allowed.

"But I wanted him to be happy with the person best for him, even if that person wasn't me. Since he was my last customer, I decided I might as well use mine." An empty laugh creeped out from Marinette's throat, but she brushed away Adrien's offered comfort. "It seemed like the perfect solution at the time. Let the guy I had no chance with move on with his life, since I wasn't going to be able to get him to kiss me willingly."

Marinette was cut off as she felt herself suddenly enveloped by a warm embrace. Her arms slipped around to return it as Adrien clutched her tighter.

"How dare you." Adrien whispered, his words coming out fast and jumbled. "You idiot. Why didn't you just talk to me or _something_. You didn't have to do this. Why didn't you tell me when we were in the same fucking school?"

"I know Adrien. I know." Marinette whispered back, not even trying to stop the silent tears that were getting Adrien's shirt wet.

"Why do you think so little of yourself? Why didn't you tell me anything?"

"I didn't want to. I didn't think it would do me any good."

"God, why are you so stubborn my Lady?"

Marinette's brows furrowed at the nickname, one that only a certain warlock ever cared to call her. "Chat?"

Adrien pulled away, giving Marinette a small, but overdramtic bow. Sweeping his hands out in flourish, he offered a small smile to her wide eyes.

"You're Chat Noir. Adrien, you're Chat." Marinette managed to stammer out, her voice choked.

"And you're Ladybug." Adrien sat down beside her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We've both been stupid."

"Not really. You just didn't know about it." Marinette said quietly, letting Tikki settle herself on her lap, Plagg curling up around the bird. "Ignorance isn't stupid."

"I wish." Adrien snorted. "I've loved Ladybug for almost a year. I didn't say anything though, because she didn't seem interested."

"I might have been interested." Marinette admitted. "For a bit. But I thought it wouldn't be worth it to get into a relationship if it wasn't with Adrien."

"Just like I didn't want to get into a relationship with anyone in college. Not with my father around." Adrien's eyes narrowed, his voice turning sour for a brief moment before he turned back to give Marinette a smile. "I guess we've always been dancing around each other."

"We have, haven't we." Marinette agreed softly.

Adrien reached up, taking the necklace off and placing it in Marinette's hands. "Here," He said. "You need to have this. There has to be a way to get your heart back to you."

Marinette gazed down at the necklace, longing clear in her misted eyes. "Why do you think the council bans it? There's no documented way to put a heart back in a body once its removed."

"If anyone can figure it out, it's you." Adrien reassured her as she put the necklace on, the amber heart giving out a soft glow.

"And, if you want to, we could do it together." Adrien offered Marinette his upturned hand, looking away while his ears burned.

Marinette put her hand in his, squeezing it softly as she replied. "I'd like that."

* * *

 **Fun fact for any who are interested, I originally intended for Marinette to die despite Adrien's efforts. I was going to enjoy writing about how he was just a few seconds too late, but after I spent time thinking about it, it didn't make sense no matter how much I tried. Because I wanted Marinette to be conscious enough to talk when he finds her, but if he did, wouldn't he most likely have a chance to have Tikki or Marinette tell him what to do? It never added up to a logical ending. That, and maybe I felt like being nice and actually having a mostly happy ending. But you gotta consider what could have been...**

 **This is the final chapter of the story, sorry to say. But I hoped you enjoyed it!**


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